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Planning commission backs rezoning of a portion of Jesse Inman property to B‑3 after public objections
Summary
The commission recommended rezoning a portion of the Jesse Inman property from R‑1 to B‑3 (general commercial). Residents urged the commission to leave existing uses grandfathered rather than rezone; staff said the property was previously used commercially and argued the rezoning aligns zoning with use.
The City of Central planning commission on Aug. 28 recommended rezoning Track B of the Jesse Inman property from R‑1 (residential) to B‑3 (general commercial) after a public hearing in which neighbors objected, citing traffic and neighborhood character concerns.
Jonathan Bradley of MR Engineering, the applicant’s representative, told the commission the property had been used for commercial activity prior to the city’s 2013 zoning and that rezoning would align zoning with the existing land use. “This property should have been zoned B‑3 when the zoning took effect due to the existing use,” Bradley said.
Several residents urged caution. Melissa James, who lives on Greenville Springs Road, said changing the zoning “is going to open the door for development on that property that’s going to increase traffic” and said the stretch of Greenville Springs Road “doesn’t need anymore.” Ray Ashford and other neighbors asked the commission to leave the existing commercial uses as nonconforming (grandfathered) rather than rezone now.
Staff and several commissioners noted the practical effect of denying rezoning: a properly‑established nonconforming commercial use can continue so long as it does not lapse (typically not vacant for more than six months). Commissioners said that if the applicant intended to continue current uses only, rezoning might not be necessary; rezoning would allow a broader set of B‑3 uses without separate approvals.
The planning commission voted to recommend approval of the rezoning to the City Council; that recommendation will be considered by the council in a later meeting. The vote on the zoning recommendation passed on roll call.
What was said about process: Planning staff confirmed the property was originally zoned rural/ag prior to the 2013 rezone and that commercial uses on the site predated the current R‑1 zoning. Commissioners asked staff to confirm historical zoning records and emphasized that future proposals to change uses beyond the existing businesses would still require further approvals.
Next steps: The recommendation will go to the City Council for final action. If the council denies rezoning, existing commercial uses would generally remain legally nonconforming unless they are discontinued for the period specified in the city code.
